There has been a picture circulating social media with end of the year standardized testing being conducted throughout the country in public schools. It lists the personal qualities that cannot be measured by testing - the things that make up the essence of who someone is, the things that make each of us unique, and the things that ultimately show the world what we are capable of. I wanted to share the list here, because I think it is not only applicable to students taking these tests, but also to all of our medical families too. Personally, we have yearly testing, twice a year testing, and sometimes even monthly testing for our son and while there are improvements, there are still those areas of struggle that weigh heavily on me as a parent. While his autism is not anywhere near as serious as many of the medical conditions our families face with their children, it is our own version of Holland and what we face every single day...and being reminded that he is more than his diagnosis, more amazing that anyone may ever see on paper tests is always the highlight to my day.So without further a due, here is the list of personal qualities that testing cannot measure.

Now that is a list of personal qualities worth remembering when each testing appointment comes your way for each of your children. Heck, a great list of personal qualities to remember for ourselves as adults and parents too. Sometimes we need reminders that we are really not only doing the best we can, but that no one can do our "jobs" the way we can either.This is a picture that I love when I think of the word "resilience." A flower blooming through the cracks of the world covering it...even in our darkest moment, we still pull through, blossom and become so much stronger than we could ever have imagined.